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This thread has been linked to the game 'Left 4 Dead 2'.
A month or so back I wrote a fairly positive preview on the Left 4 Dead sequel having had a good amount of time with the demo. Now I’ve played the full game over and over with my friends has my view changed or is it still just as fun as ever blasting zombies to pieces?
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? I know I have. Movies have given a pretty good idea of how people may react but nothing has really given us the chance to try our best to beat the hordes ourselves. Left 4 Dead was a groundbreaking title that not only offered us the chance to experience a virus outbreak, but also provided a game that truly relied on teamwork and working as one fluid unit. Before that any co-operative games I’d played involved no more than simply combining points or just not attacking one another. Bottom line is, it was a unique and exciting experience.
Now Left 4 Dead 2 is here and quickly too, after only a year since the original. Much hasn’t changed, and that is a good thing for those that loved the first game, but enough has been added and tweaked so this edition feels a lot more polished and accomplished than last year’s effort.
The idea of Left 4 Dead is simple. You and three others must make it from point A to point B using a whole assortment of weapons along the way against waves and waves of zombies. These zombies will stop at nothing to attack you and when running at you in packs of forty or more, things can become very heated. Throw in some special infected (which includes three new ones) that can strangle you with their tongues, spit acid at you, bowl you out of the way with their massive arms or throw up on you and you have a very tough game.
While most of the time you’ll be running as fast as you can from area to area there are certain sections that require you to trigger an event called a crescendo moment. These can be simple alarms that go off when you activate them and will alert the zombies and send them straight to you. It’s then up to you to either hold out till the swarms end or get to a deactivation switch and turn off any attracting sirens. They prevent the gameplay from getting stale and offer some of the titles more demanding challenges. Finales too bring fresh new ideas that require you to change your tactics drastically. Whereas the original game saw you just waiting in an area for a chopper or tank to arrive, here you’ll also need to fill up a car with petrol or run across a bridge to the other end all while dealing with hundreds of zombies. It’s these little additions that make this sequel feel much more fun than the original.
The weapons included fall under shotguns, pistols, machine guns, rifles and grenade launchers with explosives and other handheld devices used to give you an upper hand as well. New “melee” weapons are also included that can be used in close combat and make for some extremely satisfying head smashing.
So new infected and new weapons, what else is new? Well obviously the campaigns are entirely different and this time they are much more varied too. Highlights include a race along a rollercoaster track at a carnival, wading through water during a heavy rainstorm and defending against two tanks in a giant plantation. None feel like they go on too long, and just when you feel you’ve seen it all, the game throws something new at you.
People complained that the old cast weren’t returning for the sequel and I’ll admit I was one. But after playing through, I’ve come to love the newcomers as much as the old bunch. Nick and his sarcastic tone and Ellis’ innocent ramblings especially.
It’s hard to argue with the amount the game has to offer compared to the original. As well as the standard campaigns, three other game modes are ready from the get go and each are as equally addictive as the next. First is the returning versus mode where much like campaign you make your way through a series of chapters to rescue. The big difference however is the infected are now controlled by four other gamers. It’s a great laugh and requires good team work from both sides. Then there’s the survival mode where it’s simply a matter of lasting as long as possible in a small area. Finally the newest mode titled scavenger, sees you trying to constantly refill a power generator while dealing with waves of undead controlled by four other players.
Visually the game looks cartoony and decent. Since the amount of zombies and action happening on screen is high the graphics obviously can’t be as impressive as say... Gears of War but they get the job done and the animations are surprisingly great too. The sound too is different to say the least. Horror blended with Southern American music is my attempt at describing what you hear. While music takes a backseat most of the time, during key moments when tension is high the beats will start playing. Something I thought could have been improved in the last game was the character interaction with more dialogue for each person. This has sort of been addressed, but you’re still only limited to pre-scripted moments that happen at the start and end of stages. It would have been nice for the characters to talk at other points in the game too.
Living with two people who bought the game along with me, there’s never been a moment where the game has outstayed it’s welcome. Going through a campaign or having a few goes at survival to beat an old score is always a treat and I can see us playing it long into next year. This game will likely need to be crow bared out of your disc tray.
It may have only been a year since the original came out, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a cheap cash in. Its clear Valve have made the effort and even though it’s not something drastically new in terms of gameplay, Left 4 Dead 2 is still a great game and one that all shooter fans should give a chance.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? I know I have. Movies have given a pretty good idea of how people may react but nothing has really given us the chance to try our best to beat the hordes ourselves. Left 4 Dead was a groundbreaking title that not only offered us the chance to experience a virus outbreak, but also provided a game that truly relied on teamwork and working as one fluid unit. Before that any co-operative games I’d played involved no more than simply combining points or just not attacking one another. Bottom line is, it was a unique and exciting experience.
Now Left 4 Dead 2 is here and quickly too, after only a year since the original. Much hasn’t changed, and that is a good thing for those that loved the first game, but enough has been added and tweaked so this edition feels a lot more polished and accomplished than last year’s effort.
The idea of Left 4 Dead is simple. You and three others must make it from point A to point B using a whole assortment of weapons along the way against waves and waves of zombies. These zombies will stop at nothing to attack you and when running at you in packs of forty or more, things can become very heated. Throw in some special infected (which includes three new ones) that can strangle you with their tongues, spit acid at you, bowl you out of the way with their massive arms or throw up on you and you have a very tough game.
While most of the time you’ll be running as fast as you can from area to area there are certain sections that require you to trigger an event called a crescendo moment. These can be simple alarms that go off when you activate them and will alert the zombies and send them straight to you. It’s then up to you to either hold out till the swarms end or get to a deactivation switch and turn off any attracting sirens. They prevent the gameplay from getting stale and offer some of the titles more demanding challenges. Finales too bring fresh new ideas that require you to change your tactics drastically. Whereas the original game saw you just waiting in an area for a chopper or tank to arrive, here you’ll also need to fill up a car with petrol or run across a bridge to the other end all while dealing with hundreds of zombies. It’s these little additions that make this sequel feel much more fun than the original.
The weapons included fall under shotguns, pistols, machine guns, rifles and grenade launchers with explosives and other handheld devices used to give you an upper hand as well. New “melee” weapons are also included that can be used in close combat and make for some extremely satisfying head smashing.
So new infected and new weapons, what else is new? Well obviously the campaigns are entirely different and this time they are much more varied too. Highlights include a race along a rollercoaster track at a carnival, wading through water during a heavy rainstorm and defending against two tanks in a giant plantation. None feel like they go on too long, and just when you feel you’ve seen it all, the game throws something new at you.
People complained that the old cast weren’t returning for the sequel and I’ll admit I was one. But after playing through, I’ve come to love the newcomers as much as the old bunch. Nick and his sarcastic tone and Ellis’ innocent ramblings especially.
It’s hard to argue with the amount the game has to offer compared to the original. As well as the standard campaigns, three other game modes are ready from the get go and each are as equally addictive as the next. First is the returning versus mode where much like campaign you make your way through a series of chapters to rescue. The big difference however is the infected are now controlled by four other gamers. It’s a great laugh and requires good team work from both sides. Then there’s the survival mode where it’s simply a matter of lasting as long as possible in a small area. Finally the newest mode titled scavenger, sees you trying to constantly refill a power generator while dealing with waves of undead controlled by four other players.
Visually the game looks cartoony and decent. Since the amount of zombies and action happening on screen is high the graphics obviously can’t be as impressive as say... Gears of War but they get the job done and the animations are surprisingly great too. The sound too is different to say the least. Horror blended with Southern American music is my attempt at describing what you hear. While music takes a backseat most of the time, during key moments when tension is high the beats will start playing. Something I thought could have been improved in the last game was the character interaction with more dialogue for each person. This has sort of been addressed, but you’re still only limited to pre-scripted moments that happen at the start and end of stages. It would have been nice for the characters to talk at other points in the game too.
Living with two people who bought the game along with me, there’s never been a moment where the game has outstayed it’s welcome. Going through a campaign or having a few goes at survival to beat an old score is always a treat and I can see us playing it long into next year. This game will likely need to be crow bared out of your disc tray.
It may have only been a year since the original came out, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a cheap cash in. Its clear Valve have made the effort and even though it’s not something drastically new in terms of gameplay, Left 4 Dead 2 is still a great game and one that all shooter fans should give a chance.
Really liking the game, i was unsure about the demo, i thought it was just L4D but with a few tweaks.
The melle weapons are great fun, the multiplayer modes are fantastic!
Just got the Guardian Gnome achievement, which is a right pain! Also the complete a whole level only using Melee weapons, another frustrating one!
Great game and a good review GK!
The melle weapons are great fun, the multiplayer modes are fantastic!
Just got the Guardian Gnome achievement, which is a right pain! Also the complete a whole level only using Melee weapons, another frustrating one!
Great game and a good review GK!
Played the demo of L4D2, i thought it was fantastic :)
A month or so back I wrote a fairly positive preview on the Left 4 Dead sequel having had a good amount of time with the demo. Now I’ve played the full game over and over with my friends has my view changed or is it still just as fun as ever blasting zombies to pieces?
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? I know I have. Movies have given a pretty good idea of how people may react but nothing has really given us the chance to try our best to beat the hordes ourselves. Left 4 Dead was a groundbreaking title that not only offered us the chance to experience a virus outbreak, but also provided a game that truly relied on teamwork and working as one fluid unit. Before that any co-operative games I’d played involved no more than simply combining points or just not attacking one another. Bottom line is, it was a unique and exciting experience.
Now Left 4 Dead 2 is here and quickly too, after only a year since the original. Much hasn’t changed, and that is a good thing for those that loved the first game, but enough has been added and tweaked so this edition feels a lot more polished and accomplished than last year’s effort.
The idea of Left 4 Dead is simple. You and three others must make it from point A to point B using a whole assortment of weapons along the way against waves and waves of zombies. These zombies will stop at nothing to attack you and when running at you in packs of forty or more, things can become very heated. Throw in some special infected (which includes three new ones) that can strangle you with their tongues, spit acid at you, bowl you out of the way with their massive arms or throw up on you and you have a very tough game.
While most of the time you’ll be running as fast as you can from area to area there are certain sections that require you to trigger an event called a crescendo moment. These can be simple alarms that go off when you activate them and will alert the zombies and send them straight to you. It’s then up to you to either hold out till the swarms end or get to a deactivation switch and turn off any attracting sirens. They prevent the gameplay from getting stale and offer some of the titles more demanding challenges. Finales too bring fresh new ideas that require you to change your tactics drastically. Whereas the original game saw you just waiting in an area for a chopper or tank to arrive, here you’ll also need to fill up a car with petrol or run across a bridge to the other end all while dealing with hundreds of zombies. It’s these little additions that make this sequel feel much more fun than the original.
The weapons included fall under shotguns, pistols, machine guns, rifles and grenade launchers with explosives and other handheld devices used to give you an upper hand as well. New “melee” weapons are also included that can be used in close combat and make for some extremely satisfying head smashing.
So new infected and new weapons, what else is new? Well obviously the campaigns are entirely different and this time they are much more varied too. Highlights include a race along a rollercoaster track at a carnival, wading through water during a heavy rainstorm and defending against two tanks in a giant plantation. None feel like they go on too long, and just when you feel you’ve seen it all, the game throws something new at you.
People complained that the old cast weren’t returning for the sequel and I’ll admit I was one. But after playing through, I’ve come to love the newcomers as much as the old bunch. Nick and his sarcastic tone and Ellis’ innocent ramblings especially.
It’s hard to argue with the amount the game has to offer compared to the original. As well as the standard campaigns, three other game modes are ready from the get go and each are as equally addictive as the next. First is the returning versus mode where much like campaign you make your way through a series of chapters to rescue. The big difference however is the infected are now controlled by four other gamers. It’s a great laugh and requires good team work from both sides. Then there’s the survival mode where it’s simply a matter of lasting as long as possible in a small area. Finally the newest mode titled scavenger, sees you trying to constantly refill a power generator while dealing with waves of undead controlled by four other players.
Visually the game looks cartoony and decent. Since the amount of zombies and action happening on screen is high the graphics obviously can’t be as impressive as say... Gears of War but they get the job done and the animations are surprisingly great too. The sound too is different to say the least. Horror blended with Southern American music is my attempt at describing what you hear. While music takes a backseat most of the time, during key moments when tension is high the beats will start playing. Something I thought could have been improved in the last game was the character interaction with more dialogue for each person. This has sort of been addressed, but you’re still only limited to pre-scripted moments that happen at the start and end of stages. It would have been nice for the characters to talk at other points in the game too.
Living with two people who bought the game along with me, there’s never been a moment where the game has outstayed it’s welcome. Going through a campaign or having a few goes at survival to beat an old score is always a treat and I can see us playing it long into next year. This game will likely need to be crow bared out of your disc tray.
It may have only been a year since the original came out, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a cheap cash in. Its clear Valve have made the effort and even though it’s not something drastically new in terms of gameplay, Left 4 Dead 2 is still a great game and one that all shooter fans should give a chance.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? I know I have. Movies have given a pretty good idea of how people may react but nothing has really given us the chance to try our best to beat the hordes ourselves. Left 4 Dead was a groundbreaking title that not only offered us the chance to experience a virus outbreak, but also provided a game that truly relied on teamwork and working as one fluid unit. Before that any co-operative games I’d played involved no more than simply combining points or just not attacking one another. Bottom line is, it was a unique and exciting experience.
Now Left 4 Dead 2 is here and quickly too, after only a year since the original. Much hasn’t changed, and that is a good thing for those that loved the first game, but enough has been added and tweaked so this edition feels a lot more polished and accomplished than last year’s effort.
The idea of Left 4 Dead is simple. You and three others must make it from point A to point B using a whole assortment of weapons along the way against waves and waves of zombies. These zombies will stop at nothing to attack you and when running at you in packs of forty or more, things can become very heated. Throw in some special infected (which includes three new ones) that can strangle you with their tongues, spit acid at you, bowl you out of the way with their massive arms or throw up on you and you have a very tough game.
While most of the time you’ll be running as fast as you can from area to area there are certain sections that require you to trigger an event called a crescendo moment. These can be simple alarms that go off when you activate them and will alert the zombies and send them straight to you. It’s then up to you to either hold out till the swarms end or get to a deactivation switch and turn off any attracting sirens. They prevent the gameplay from getting stale and offer some of the titles more demanding challenges. Finales too bring fresh new ideas that require you to change your tactics drastically. Whereas the original game saw you just waiting in an area for a chopper or tank to arrive, here you’ll also need to fill up a car with petrol or run across a bridge to the other end all while dealing with hundreds of zombies. It’s these little additions that make this sequel feel much more fun than the original.
The weapons included fall under shotguns, pistols, machine guns, rifles and grenade launchers with explosives and other handheld devices used to give you an upper hand as well. New “melee” weapons are also included that can be used in close combat and make for some extremely satisfying head smashing.
So new infected and new weapons, what else is new? Well obviously the campaigns are entirely different and this time they are much more varied too. Highlights include a race along a rollercoaster track at a carnival, wading through water during a heavy rainstorm and defending against two tanks in a giant plantation. None feel like they go on too long, and just when you feel you’ve seen it all, the game throws something new at you.
People complained that the old cast weren’t returning for the sequel and I’ll admit I was one. But after playing through, I’ve come to love the newcomers as much as the old bunch. Nick and his sarcastic tone and Ellis’ innocent ramblings especially.
It’s hard to argue with the amount the game has to offer compared to the original. As well as the standard campaigns, three other game modes are ready from the get go and each are as equally addictive as the next. First is the returning versus mode where much like campaign you make your way through a series of chapters to rescue. The big difference however is the infected are now controlled by four other gamers. It’s a great laugh and requires good team work from both sides. Then there’s the survival mode where it’s simply a matter of lasting as long as possible in a small area. Finally the newest mode titled scavenger, sees you trying to constantly refill a power generator while dealing with waves of undead controlled by four other players.
Visually the game looks cartoony and decent. Since the amount of zombies and action happening on screen is high the graphics obviously can’t be as impressive as say... Gears of War but they get the job done and the animations are surprisingly great too. The sound too is different to say the least. Horror blended with Southern American music is my attempt at describing what you hear. While music takes a backseat most of the time, during key moments when tension is high the beats will start playing. Something I thought could have been improved in the last game was the character interaction with more dialogue for each person. This has sort of been addressed, but you’re still only limited to pre-scripted moments that happen at the start and end of stages. It would have been nice for the characters to talk at other points in the game too.
Living with two people who bought the game along with me, there’s never been a moment where the game has outstayed it’s welcome. Going through a campaign or having a few goes at survival to beat an old score is always a treat and I can see us playing it long into next year. This game will likely need to be crow bared out of your disc tray.
It may have only been a year since the original came out, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a cheap cash in. Its clear Valve have made the effort and even though it’s not something drastically new in terms of gameplay, Left 4 Dead 2 is still a great game and one that all shooter fans should give a chance.